My name is Natasha Borders, and I am the owner of Bart & Gabriel Pet Sitting LLC. Currently, I live with my husband and two fury “kids”, Bart and Gabriel. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2004, and receiving my MBA from Cornell University in 2007 with a specialization in Marketing, I believed that the world of business would be my career destination. However, after a couple of busy years spent in a cubicle, I realized that I should be out there walking dogs and caring for pets instead. Throughout my life I always enjoyed having a pet, going from a parrot, to turtle, fish, a hamster and, finally, dogs and a rabbit. I can never passing a petting zoo, and I always enjoy meeting the pets of all the people that I know. Because of this I knew that working with animals would be a great career choice for me. I will take great care of your pets because I believe that every pet deserves as much love, affection, and care as we can possibly provide. Below are the stories of the three pets currently in my life, which are an inspiration for me and a confirmation of how love and affection can change an animal’s world.
I met Kira while I was in college. She was in a pet store where she and her puppies were being sold. Although I came in looking for a puppy, I was horrified at seeing this beautiful two year old whippet/lab mix being used as a breeding machine. She was surrounded by two litters of puppies and looked exhausted and thin. I decided that I could not leave her there. The store personnel told me that in her previous home, she was abused and not even allowed to come in the house. Once Kira came home with me I discovered that she was afraid of men, stairs, and thrown objects (including dog toys - instead of chasing them, she’d try to hide). After a long journey, Kira and I learned a lot about living together, I got her spayed, and taught her to play again, and to go upstairs. She regained a healthy weight and and a nice, shiny coat. After a while, I had to leave for graduate school, and Kira found a new home on a farm where she could run free (as whippets love to do), with a few friends to play with and a wonderful family to care for her. I still visit her regularly as she grows older and less agile, but still extremely happy.
Bart is a playful Yorkie puppy, whom we adopted in 2009. Bart is fearless and very friendly, he loves meeting everyone, and enjoys being picked up, petted and cuddled. Of course, boys will be boys, so Bart has gotten himself in his full share of accidents, such as eating a tiny piece of caffeinated soap in our bathroom, and tumbling down the stairs to end up with a fractured leg. He did not appear deterred, however, and impatiently waited for his stitches to come out so he can venture out once again. In the course of caring for Bart, I learned the best ways to calm down a bored puppy, how to administer medicine to a struggling dog, and how to perform passive range of motion exercises for dogs that have been injured.
Gabriel is our Holland Lop rabbit. While I have not often encountered rabbits as pets among our friends and family, they do enjoy a growing popularity as pets. Gabriel is a free-roaming bunny and hops around the whole house, although he does come back to his cage to sleep, eat, and to use the bathroom. He is as calm and sweet as Bart is energetic and adventurous, and enjoys nothing more than stretching out on a lowest shelf of the TV stand for a nap.
Bart & Gabriel Pet Sitting will provide your pets with the attentive, loving care they deserve while you’re away.